Green Flu Chronicles
by Ishizai the Gryffindor
Summary: <html><head></head>Zoey and her childhood friend try to survive the nightmare that the Green Flu has unleashed. Along with the other survivors, they try to find a safe haven. The two grow closer but fate seems to be against them. On haitus</html>
1. Chapter 1

This is my first Left 4 Dead fanfiction and I'm going to try and update somewhat regularly, it may be a bit erratic at the start as I try to keep myself focused on a plan but that should hopefully calm down once I get into the swing of things. I'm trying to stick to canon as much as possible but I will probably be messing about with the timeline quite a bit so that I don't have to rush things.

Anyway I hope you enjoy and it any reviews would be appreciated as I really want to make sure I'm doing things right and any tips I can get to improve on my technique are welcome.

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

Fairfield, Connecticut, USA

2 days after first infection

7pm

Cass lay on her bedroom floor, staring up at the ceiling with a vacant expression on her face. Scattered around her lay pages upon pages of handwritten notes. One look at them would show them to be coursework notes, possibly for some sort of design related subject. A sudden knock on the front door arose her from her daydream state.

"One sec!" she called out as she picked herself up off the floor. She knew the person at the door probably couldn't hear her but she didn't really care. Humanity did odd things sometimes and this was just one of them. As she made her way to the door she pushed her shoulder-length, jet black hair out of the way of her hazel-coloured eyes. She fumbled with the door handle for a second before pulling the door open to reveal a female of roughly her own age, donning jeans and a pink top, the zip open enough to reveal the white t-shirt she wore underneath. Her dark brown hair was tied back in a ponytail and her green eyes were brimming with tears.

"Zoey?" Cass asked her confused, "What are you doing here? What's wrong?"

"It's my parents," she sobbed in reply, "They're...they're both dead. I didn't know where else to go."

"What?" Cass gasped, horrified, "That's terrible, come in. I'll make you a hot drink, it may help somehow." She stepped to the side to let Zoey in, closing the door behind her before making her way to the kitchen. Minutes later she was handing Zoey a mug of coffee and placing a blanket around her shoulders.

"Now," she said, sitting beside her best friend, "I know you probably don't want to talk about it but tell me what happened, it'll help." Having lost both her parents at an early age, Cass had some idea of the emotional torment Zoey must have been going through at this moment in time.

"You aren't going to believe me when I explain it," Zoey sniffed, taking a sip of coffee, "I still can't really believe it...I mean one minute everything was normal with my parents arguing about how I'm dropping out of college and then the next everything was going to hell."

"The argument got out of hand?" Cass asked, confused. She knew Zoey's parents and neither Wade nor Carolyn seemed like the type of person who would start a fight over something like that, let alone a fight that would result in them both dying.

"No Cass, you know my parents aren't like that," Zoey sighed almost bitterly, "Some guy randomly wandered in, my dad mentioned that he had that so-called flu that's been going around...anyway, my dad tells him to get out but this guy just refuses to acknowledge the fact he's even being spoken to so my dad grabs his gun and says he's got till the count of three...well, that's when things got really fucked up...he lunges forward and attacks my mom, bites a chunk clean out of her face." Zoey had to pause for a moment to fight back the tears.

"So the papers were telling the truth for once?" Cass questioned, hardly able to believe what she was hearing.

"Yeah and about all of it," Zoey nodded grimly, wiping her eyes, "My dad shot the guy after he bit mom but she was bleeding pretty badly so he told me to call an ambulance...the number was busy though. Next thing I knew my dad was yelling, I looked in to see what was up and she was attacking him...like she had that flu now. It was like something out of a zombie movie, you know?"

"That's horrible," she remarked sympathetically, "Did she...?"

"No," Zoey shook her head, "I called out to her, asked her not to...course that turned her attention to me, would have got me too if my dad hadn't still had the gun in his hand. I ran right to him after she fell, seemed he was going into shock so I told him I'd get the first aid kit so I could stop the bleeding. He...he stopped me, asked me if I remembered the zombie movies he snuck me into when I was a kid...if I remembered the bits where they had to shoot that one guy before he turned...then...then h-he handed me the gun and told me he loved me..." A fresh torrent of tears burst forth from her eyes as the harshness and horror of the scenario fully sank in for Cass.

"I'm so sorry Zoey," she murmured in horrified shock, wrapping her arms around her childhood friend and giving her a comforting hug, "I am so sorry you had to do that, but I can see why he wanted you to...he didn't want to run the risk of him doing to you what your mother ended up doing to him...he wanted to keep you safe and you are which means he can rest in peace."

"I'm lucky to have gotten here in one piece," she admitted amidst the tears, "The city is overrun Cass, the streets are crawling with them, you just need to look out the window to see that." Cass blinked, letting go of Zoey and moving over to look out of the window.

"Holy crap," she gasped, "When the fuck did that happen? The things you don't notice when studying..."

"There's probably not many who did notice it happen," Zoey sighed, "It just seems to have gone from everything being fine one moment to the freaking apocalypse the next."

"Well with any luck it'll be dealt with just as fast," Cass muttered, moving to make sure the door was locked, "Until then I guess we should just hole up here. If it gets too bad they're bound to start evacuating people...I just hope Ryan's not in any trouble." Cass returned to the sofa, her thoughts focused on her older brother. He was currently out of town on a business trip and was due back tomorrow, though if the current situation remained as it was it could be a lot longer till she saw him again...and if it was worse than it seemed then there could even be the possibility that she would never see him again. She shook her head slightly, riding herself of these thoughts. She could think on this later, right now she had to be strong for Zoey.

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Zoey said, finishing her coffee, "Though once news of this gets out he's going to be very worried about you." Cass smiled slightly.

"He's always worried about me," she chuckled lightly, "He treats me as if I'm still a kid sometimes."

"Its because he cares about you," Zoey pointed out, placing her empty cup on the table in front of them "You're all each other has left."

"That's not entirely true," Cass argued, "We've got you too. Just like you'll always have us." Zoey managed a small smile though her eyes were still red and puffy from all her tears.

"Thank you Cass," she said, "I really don't know what I would have done if I'd never met you." Cass smiled. The two of them had been introduced to each other by Zoey's father. Wade had been the officer whom had been given the unfortunate duty of telling two small children, aged 6 and 8, and their babysitter that their parents had died in a car accident. Cass and Ryan had to move in with their aunt and uncle after that but Wade always liked to check in every now and then to check on how they were doing. When he found out that Cass had been taking it particularly badly he had decided to take Zoey with him on his next visit, thinking that having a friend to play with may help. Ryan and Zoey got on almost instantly but it took some time to coax Cass out of her shell. Since that time though, the two had been firm friends.

"...What do we do if they manage to get in here?" Zoey asked quietly, "I mean I still have my father's pistol with me but its out of ammunition."

"That's a good point," Cass frowned, "We'll just have to find something in here we can use as a weapon...we should probably also take it in turns to keep a watch whilst the other sleeps. I don't really fancy being attacked in my sleep." Zoey nodded in agreement as Cass stood up and began to rummage around, looking for possible weapons.

"Well," Cass began after a good half hour of searching, "We've got an few knives, various pots and pans and if we're desperate enough, Ryan's guitar, though I'd rather not have to use that, he'd skin me alive when he found out."

"Nothing that doesn't require you getting up close first then?" Zoey enquired.

"Erm...you could always throw stuff?" Cass shrugged, "We aint got a lot of options I'm afraid Zoey and this place is rather small so we'd be closer to them than we'd like anyway."

"True," Zoey agreed, attempting to stifle a yawn. Cass smiled at her.

"You should get some sleep," she told her, "After what you've been through today you need it."

"I guess you're right," Zoey sighed, "Where am I to sleep?"

"Wherever you want," Cass replied, "Both beds are spare or if you really wanted to you could sleep here on the sofa."

"Might be safer if we both stayed in the same room," Zoey mumbled, trying not to seem scared, "You never know if one of them could somehow climb through the window."

"Sofa it is then," Cass nodded, "I'll go grab some pillows and stuff." Cass disappeared off into her room, emerging not too long later with two pillows and some more blankets, incase they were required, and a book for her to read whilst Zoey slept. She deposited them next to the sofa and she and Zoey set about sorting them out. Before long, Zoey was comfortably curled up, ready to sleep and Cass sat on the floor next to her, blanket over her, flicking through the book to find her page.

"Night Cass," Zoey yawned, "Wake me up when its my turn to keep watch."

"Will do," she replied, smiling, "Until then, you sleep well." She watched as Zoey closed her eyes, falling asleep nearly instantaneously. She had no intentions of waking Zoey up tonight unless absolutely necessary. Cass sighed, her thoughts returning to her brother for a moment.

"Please be safe Ryan," she whispered to herself before immersing herself in her book whilst at the same time making sure to stay alert.


	2. Chapter 2

Well this chapter actually didn't take me as long as I thought it might. I'll admit I haven't actually had a set and solid plan for what's to happen in the lead up to the No Mercy campaign I only have vague plans for how I want them to meet the other survivors and when that will happen and possible ideas for events that may happen between those points. So yeah, if anything seems sort of unfocused or odd i apologise in advance its just the result of how my mind is working these parts. Anyway I hope to have the next chapter done by next week but only time will tell if I'll actually manage that or not. Hope you all enjoy this chapter and if you've got any comments don't be afraid to leave a review and let me know. Also I'd like to thank those that reviewed my last chapter, they made my day and helped keep me focused on working on this chapter.

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

Fairfield, Connecticut, USA

3 days after first infection

11am

"So much for taking it in turns," Zoey sighed as she awoke to find sunlight streaming in the window.

"One night only," Cass replied tiredly, "After what you went through, you needed the rest."

"And what if you'd fallen asleep?" Zoey asked, worriedly, "Was it really worth the risk?"  
>"I'm a master at pulling all nighters," Cass yawned, "I'll just need to take a nap in a couple of hours is all." Zoey shook her head. She knew it was futile to continue stressing about it. Cass was right, she had been emotionally and mentally exhausted yesterday and probably would have been still if Cass had woken her during the night.<p>

"Anything happen while I was out of it?" she asked, sitting up and stretching.

"I finished my book," Cass shrugged, "It's been really quiet all night, creepily quiet even."

"Well that at least means they haven't found us yet," Zoey muttered, "Though it may also mean..."

"Let's not think about that," Cass cut in, "There will be others out there somewhere laying low just like us." Zoey hesitated then nodded with a sigh, she hoped Cass was right. The two sat there in silence, each letting their thoughts wander to their own individual worries. For Cass, this was the safety of her brother. She just couldn't help but think that this was all contained to just Fairfield, it had to be more widespread than that and thus Ryan could be caught up in it all too. For Zoey, it was all about what might happen to them next, where they were to go from here and if life would ever be the same or if this was the beginning of the end for mankind. After a while the sound of growling stomachs interrupted the silence.

"I'll make us something to eat," Cass said, getting to her feet, "Not sure how much I have in though, we may have to risk going out there for supplies at some point...most likely fairly soon."

"How soon is fairly soon?" Zoey asked apprehensively as she watched Cass make her way to the kitchen. Cass disappeared into the room without a reply.

"There's less here than I thought," she eventually replied with worry, "We may have to go out tomorrow."

"Great," Zoey sighed, "What;s available anyway?"

"Noodles," came the reply, "And more noodles."

"Diet of a true student," Zoey laughed, getting up to join Cass in the kitchen, "Let me give you a hand preparing our exquisite feast."

8pm

"Keep trying Zoey there has to be some channel that's still working," Cass grumbled with impatience as she herself messed with the radio, desperately searching for a signal, any signal that would prove things were still okay out there somewhere. They had expected things to be out locally but the complete absence of transmissions was disturbing news for them as it meant things were a lot worse than they'd came to convince themselves it was.

"I am trying Cass," Zoey snapped in reply, starting to cave under the feeling of utter hopelessness that was occupying her mind, "But there's nothing. Nothing local, nothing national, nothing anywhere."

"There has to be something," Cass replied, not wanting to give up, "There just has to be dammit! Things can't be that bad...they're not allowed to be that bad." Zoey tore her gaze away from the small television set to look at Cass. She sighed and placed a hand on her shoulder. She knew stressing out about this wasn't a good idea, even if this whole situation did terrify her. It would only drag Cass down and she wanted to avoid that. Cass had never truly gotten over the death of her parents and had been forced to seek the help of a psychiatrist many times, even now she was on medication for it. Before this however, Zoey had noticed Cass had seemed to be gradually improving and she didn't want that to be reversed.

"I'm sorry Cass," she muttered, "You're right, I'm just letting this get to me because I'm scared, there's bound to be another reason for it."

"Try checking if the internet is still up," Cass replied, trying to hide her own distress behind a tone of indifference, "If that's down we have problems." Zoey nodded and headed into Cass' bedroom to collect the laptop. Cass continued to focus on the radio, trying to use it to distract herself from the despair that was slowly creeping into her mind. After all she had to learn to deal with it, if things were as bad as they were beginning to seem then it would be like this a lot more, she wouldn't be able to rely on her meds once they ran out.

"Cass, snap out of it!" Zoey's voice rang through her ears, forcing her back to the real world, "Go back a little, you just picked something up there!" Cass fumbled with the radio, backtracking until she found what Zoey had been on about. There was a lot of interference but that was definitely a news report.

_...sudden wave of violent crimes in Fairfield, Connecticut just days after initial reports of a new illness dubbed 'Green Flu', rumoured to be a mutated strain of the rabies virus. The number of casualties is still unknown as the city has been completely locked down by the military under orders from the President himself. CEDA are also said to be on the scene, working with the military in order to investigate whether or not green Flu is in fact tied in with this epidemic of aggressive behaviour. Upon trying to question CEDA officials earlier today, our reporters were quickly escorted off site by military personnel. We will however try to keep you updated as the story unfolds..._

At that moment the transmission was lost to static once more and no amount of tinkering with the radio could recover it.

"Well at least we know its not all that bad," Zoey sighed in relief, "And if the military has already been called in it must mean they're getting ready to make a move."

"Yeah mostly likely they're going to move through the city and take out everyone they can find," Cass muttered bitterly, "I don't trust the army enough to think they won't shoot innocents like us."

"It's not just the military here though Cass," Zoey pointed out, "They've got CEDA there and the government seems to be heavily involved as well."

"Still don't trust them," Cass replied, trying and failing to stifle a yawn.

"Maybe you might feel differently once you've gotten some rest," Zoey argued, "You've been awake for over a full day now, you really need to get some rest."

"Yeah, guess you're right," Cass yawned again, "Wake me when you start getting tired and I'll take my turn at watch."

"Sure," Zoey replied, clearly planning to attempt to do the same that Cass had for her.

"I mean it Zoey," Cass warned, "I wake up to find sunlight coming through those windows you'll have hell to pay." She grinned cheekily, settling down onto the sofa. Zoey simply smiled and shook her head, unable to really get a reply in as Cass fell asleep the moment her eyes closed.

4 days after first infection

4pm

"That's it, we're completely out of food," Cass sighed as she set the bowls of noodles on the table, "We're going to have to go out there and try to find some supplies, preferably after we've eaten this then we don't have to wait until tomorrow. I ain't going out there when its dark." Zoey nodded.

"Might be a good idea," she agreed, "Besides I've been thinking...no offence Cass, but this place isn't exactly the safest place to stay. We should probably be on the lookout for a better place to lay low whilst we're out as well."

"None taken," Cass shrugged, "In fact I agree with you. If we were to get more than a few of them finding there way in here we'd be doomed, there's only the one way out. We need to find somewhere closer to ground level and with an alternative entrance, or rather exit, and if possible close to where we find supplies. The less distance we have to travel to get them the better."

"Less chances for something bad to happen," Zoey nodded, pulling her bowl towards her and picking up her fork, "That and it means we use less energy on travel so we'd be able to conserve more for any encounter that did occur." Cass nodded in agreement, already wolfing down her own meal. Zoey smiled, glad that she had not offended Cass and that she too thought of the apartment as an unsuitable place to stay during a potential zombie outbreak. Silence fell as they continued their meal. To an outsider it may seem like the two were finding this entire situation normal but underneath it all there was still a panic that threatened to overtake them at any time. Or at least that was the case for Zoey, for Cass it was less panic and more a sensation of futile despair. She forced herself to stay strong for Zoey but she was beginning to feel that things were just going to get worse and that the only reason they were alive and uninfected at that moment was entirely due to luck.

"You okay?" Zoey asked her worriedly as they finished eating.

"Fine," Cass lied, "Just tired. Do me a favour and check Ryan's room for backpacks please. We're gonna need them to carry stuff in. I'll see about finding what's best to take with us to use as a weapon." Zoey nodded and did so, sighing as she left, she could see straight through Cass' lie. The two had been friends long enough for Zoey to recognise the signs that Cass was having a particularly difficult day with her condition.

4 days after first infection

7:30pm

"Cass we've been out here for like three hours now," Zoey sighed, "It's going to get dark soon, we really need to start heading back. \we've got our supplies, we can search for a new place to stay tomorrow."

"I'm telling you I saw someone come down this way," Cass replied, "And if there's still someone who's uninfected around here it may mean there's somewhere safe to stay nearby."

"And what happens if they're infected?" Zoey argued, "We waste time and effort and run the risk of one of us getting injured or worse, infected or dead. Cass stopped in her tracks and stared at the ground.

"I know," she mumbled apologetically, "I realise this is a huge risk but in all fairness, so is going back to that apartment. We've been lucky so far but who's to say we won't get back to find it swarming with those things or that we won't be overrun with them during the middle of the night. If this was an infected individual then at least it's still only one, we can deal with that easily and that's why I feel its worth finding out." Zoey hesitated as Cass looked up at her, eyes full of sorrow and concern.

"I hate it when you're right," she finally groaned, giving in, "Let's get this done quickly though." Cass nodded and the two of them set off after the mysterious stranger again. It wasn't long before they found him though. As they rounded the corner onto the next street they came face to face with the barrel of a gun. They froze in fear, was this man seriously going to shoot them? After a few moments he lowered his gun and they both gave sighs of relief. The stranger was clearly a member of the police force as he was still wearing his uniform and they both recognised the pistol that had been aimed at them only moments ago to be one of standard police issue, exactly like the one that was currently nestled at the bottom of Zoey's backpack.

"I thought someone was following me," he said, "You girls are damn lucky I stop to check my targets, what you even doing out here anyway?"

"Looking for supplies," Zoey responded warily, "And a safer place to lay low."

"So I guess you heard the same rumour I did then?" he smiled, relaxing, "About these supposed 'safe houses' CEDA's apparently been organising for those that have escaped the infection."

"Actually we hadn't heard about that," Cass blinked, seeming surprised, "They planning an evacuation or something?"

"Hell if I know," he scoffed, "They could be rounding us all up to conduct tests on us or some shit. All I know is they're supposed to be the safest places in the city."

"Where's the nearest one?" Cass enquired with an air of urgency about her.

"Meant to be one just a few streets from here," the man replied, "You may as well just follow me seeing as we're all headed that way."

"Thank you," Zoey smiled before Cass could say anything, "We appreciate your help."

"Don't mention it," he nodded, "Come on this way." He turned away from them and began to walk away, Zoey following almost immediately. Cass hesitated for a moment longer. She didn't trust this man, he just didn't feel right for a cop and Zoey should have picked up on that. Then again considering what had happened to her father, maybe Zoey didn't care and saw this as some sort of way of connecting with her deceased father once again. Cass frowned and followed after them, one hand in the pocket of her dark jeans, her fingers clenched tightly around the handle of the knife she had selected as her weapon for this outing. If he acted up she would be ready for it. She wouldn't let anything happen to either of them. Not now. Not ever.

"Your friend seems very distrusting," the man mentioned to Zoey.

"She's had a hard life," Zoey replied sadly, "And with everything that's happened lately I'm worried her mental condition may worsen with all the stress."

"Poor kid," he sighed, shaking his head, "Hopefully that stress will be lifted somewhat when we reach this place, won't have to worry about everything." Zoey nodded, glancing back at Cass. She couldn't understand it, why had Cass' behaviour changed so suddenly? There was no reason for them not to trust this man, he was a police officer and he was escorting them to safety. Perhaps all this had been having more of an effect on her than Zoey had previously thought, she'd have to have a talk with her later and find out.

"Well, this should be the place," the man's voice burst through her thoughts, "Red door, just like the rumours said." Zoey stared at the door. It didn't seem like much but then again that may have been the point, make it easily recognisable for those who are searching for it but not so much that it attracts unwanted attention.

"Do we knock or just go right in?" Cass asked roughly, appearing by Zoey's side.

"I guess we probably oughta knock so that they know we ain't infected or a threat," the male answered, raising his hand and rapping his knuckles upon the metal door. A full minute went by before a slot on the door slid open and someone peered out of it at them.

"Hey there," the policeman greeted, "I heard this was meant to be some sort of save haven from the infection and the infected, mind letting myself and these two girls in? It'll be dark out soon and I don't fancy having to try defending myself in that." No reply came, the person on the other side of the door just continued to stare at them as if judging them.

"We're not infected," Zoey spoke up, "If we were we wouldn't be here."

"Alright, you can come in," a strict feminine voice replied, "But you better not cause any trouble, we're running out of room in here as it is and tempers are wearing thin."

"We promise you we won't be any trouble at all," Zoey nodded, her voice full of sincerity. The slot in the door slid closed and there was the sound of locks opening before the door creaked open.

"Inside, quickly," the female ordered. They nodded and hurried inside, the door shut and locked immediately behind them.

"The girls stay down at that end," the female informed them, pointing to the other end of the room, "There should be a bed or two spare, you sir should go up those stairs and enter the room on the left, that is where the males sleep. There is only one bathroom I'm afraid, located up stairs and straight down the hallway, I warn you know everybody only gets five minutes at any one time. This area we're standing in now is our temporary communal eating area. Teams of five are sent out each day to secure supplies, please add your names to the bottom of the rota located on that table there. If you have any questions or problems please come and find me. Now I must excuse myself, good night." And with that she stormed off up the stairs and turned right. Cass and Zoey moved over to the rota and signed their names at the bottom of the list before making their way to the end of the room.

"I'm hating this already," Cass grumbled.

"Yeah it seems overcrowded," Zoey agreed, "It's safe though and that's what's important for now, we can always keep an eye out for some place better when it's our turn to scavenge." Cass nodded and dumped her backpack at the foot of an unoccupied 'bed' which turned out to be nothing more than a mattress on the floor with a blanket and a seemingly lumpy pillow. Zoey deposited her backpack beside the next one and sat down.

"Fit for a king," she joked.

"Better than nothing," Cass shrugged, flopping down onto hers, "Though I'll agree the sofa was a hell of a lot better. Well, I'm exhausted so I'm going to try and get some sleep, night Zoey."

"Night Cass," Zoey sighed, laying back and closing her eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Sorry this chapter took so long guys, between Magic the gathering pre-releases, tabletop rpgs and picking up extra shifts at work I've not had a great deal of time for writing and most of what time I have had I've just been too tired to think properly and this chapter was particularly difficult for me to figure out since I was pretty much making it up on the spot XD Anyway its done now and I hope you enjoy it. Oh and a little sneak peek of what's to come in the next chapter: Two quite familiar characters will be introduced. Not telling which ones though, you'll have to wait to read it =p

Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter and also if you have any questions about the story (so long as it's not along the lines of "what's going to happen next?") or characters or whatever feel free to message/email me.

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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

Fairfield, Connecticut, USA

6 days after first infection

8pm

Zoey stared in disbelief as the woman's body slumped to the floor, her dying eyes full of shock. Moments later her view was blocked by Cass stepping protectively in front of her. Cass had a look of utmost seriousness on her face. She had been right after all, this so called "cop" was bad news.

"Anyone else want to challenge my authority?" he barked at the stunned crowd, "Or do we all understand who's in charge here?"

"You killed her!" someone finally blurted out as they began to broke down, "I can't believe you killed her, she did nothing wrong."

"I am a police officer, I am the highest authority here," he replied, "She would not accept this and thus I was forced to resolve the issue."

"By murdering her?" Cass spat, "No true police officer would do something like that, you're just a pathetic loser who thinks he's top dog." He turned his gun to Cass, glaring at her, the fires of rage alight in his eyes.

"What was that?" he growled.

"You heard me," Cass replied, "To call yourself an officer of the law is an insult to all those people like Zoey's father, good people who did their job to protect people not so they could go on some power trip!"

"Cass, maybe it would be a good idea if you didn't aggravate the man who is currently pointing a gun at you and just moments ago killed a woman in cold blood," Zoey murmured, having been peering over Cass' shoulder so that she could see what was going on.

"Cops like your friend's father are weaklings," the man retorted, "They're the kinda people who's hesitations to pull the trigger can end up in people getting hurt...considering he's not here right now I'm guessing that just that sort of thing got him killed out there, am I right?"

"You shut the fuck up," Cass snarled, unable to stop herself getting angrier, "Wade was a good man who didn't want to run the risk of murdering people when there could have been a better way. People like you make me sick, you call others weak so that you don't have to deal with the fact that you don't feel confident enough to deal with situations like that any other way. Really bad in social situations are we? I bet you don't even have a girlfriend, in fact it wouldn't even surprise me if you were still a virgin..." BANG. Several people in the room screamed in fright and Cass herself was struggling not to show fear after that. He'd deliberately missed her, hitting the wall instead.

"Next time I won't miss," he spat, "So shut your mouth or you'll have a nice little hole in your head too." Cass glanced down at the woman who had, until recently, been the appointed leader of this "safe house". She realised she was probably very lucky he hadn't just shot her and decided she should probably not push her luck. He would pay though, she wasn't going to let him get away with terrorizing them like this, or insulting Wade like that either. The room fell silent and after a few moments, the man lowered his gun.

"Good, seems you've all decided to do the right thing," he said, "Now, things are going to change a bit around here..." Suddenly, he was interrupted by a pounding on the front door of the safe house, which was then followed by pounding on the boarded up windows and then again on the wooden back door. Gradually the pounding got louder and louder as more and more people joined in. Except that it was obvious that these weren't normal people, the safe house was surrounded by infected.

"The gunshots and yelling must have attracted them," someone whimpered as the sense of panic began to spread around the room, "They know we're in here, we're all going to die!"

"Shut up and sit down," the officer barked, "There ain't no way they're getting in here and even if they do break through they can't all come through at once, they'll be easy to take out."

"In that case you should manage them fine on your own," Cass spoke up with slight apprehension, "Most of these people are in a panic, if I take them upstairs they'll be out of your way."

"Fine but then you get your pretty little behind back down here," he replied, "I need to keep my eye on you." Cass nodded though she knew that if she found what she hoped for there was no way in hell she'd be anywhere near this psycho again.

"Right everyone," she whispered urgently, "Grab your stuff and follow me."

"What's your plan?" Zoey asked quietly as everyone started gathering their things.

"I'm hoping there'll be a way outta here up there," Cass replied just as quietly, "I can't imagine there wouldn't be an emergency escape route here but that woman is likely to have kept it to herself to avoid panic. I mean if they said there was an emergency escape route then everyone would question just how safe this place was."

"What if you're wrong?" Zoey worried, "We both know how easy it will be for those things to get through the back and once they're in things are going to get messy."

"I don't know," Cass sighed, "We'll come up with something though."

"Thinking of going somewhere are we?" the officer questioned Cass with suspicion, "Or is there another reason you're getting everyone to gather their things."

"Thought you might want as much out of your way as possible sir," Cass replied with forced politeness, "Less chance of you accidentally tripping over something."

"You trying to imply that I'm clumsy?" he growled, aiming the gun at her again.

"No sir," she answered shakily, "Just thought it might help sir." He glared at her for a moment then lowered the gun again.

"Fine but hurry up," grumbled. Cass nodded and quickly finished packing her few belongings. Zoey followed suit then together they lead the girls upstairs since the men had already gone up to gather whatever they had brought with them. Once upstairs, Cass immediately turned right, heading into the room that had belonged to the now deceased leader.

"Wow, how did she find room to sleep in here?" Cass wondered aloud. Most of the room was taken up with emergency supplies such as flashlights, candles, even a small generator, clearly there in case the main power went out, and fuel for it. There wasn't any food or water but Cass figured they were most likely stored elsewhere. Right at the end of the room was a window, probably the only window in the place that hadn't been boarded up or blacked out. Upon looking out of it, Cass found that there was a short distance between it and a window on the next building...short enough for a sturdy length of wood to be placed between them to allow them passage into the next building. Cass looked around the room again as the rest watched, wondering what she was up to. Eventually she found exactly what she was looking for.

"Right," she said, turning to the others, "If I can wedge this plank between this building and the next we can get out of here. I don't suggest we stay in the next building though and that instead we get out of it as quickly as possible and scramble once we are. There are just too many infected here now for it to be safe."

"It's going to take some time for us all to get across," a man spoke up, "How can you be sure we'll all get out before those things break in and get up here."

"I can't," came the simple reply, "But its better than sitting here waiting for it to happen. Zoey, can you help me with this then go across first to sort out the other window?" Zoey nodded and moved to Cass' side. Together they wrenched open the window and manoeuvred the plank across.

"Cass, that's not going to stay steady enough for me to get across like that," Zoey noticed, "You may have to break the window so it has more for that end to rest on."

"Yeah I think you're right," she agreed with a nod, holding tightly onto the plank as she quickly gave a sharp, strong jab at the window pane. She made sure to clear the pane before resting the plank down.

"Be careful of all the glass when you get over there," she told Zoey, "And of course keep an eye out for any infected, I'll come over after we get everyone else over."

"Alright," Zoey nodded, carefully climbing up onto the wood, "You be careful this side too."

"Will do," Cass smiled as she watched Zoey carefully make her way across. It didn't take her long and soon the others were beginning to make their way over one at a time.

"What the hell is taking you so long girl?" roared the officer from downstairs, "I told you to get yourself back down here when you were done!"

"Just making sure everyone's here and calm sir!" she called back, hating him more and more each second, "I won't be much longer."

"Better not be," he replied, "I'm going to need help barricading this here back door."

"Maybe he's not as thick as he seems," Cass muttered to herself whilst urging the others to try and speed things up a bit. The ones who had made it over already, apart from Zoey, had began making their way out of the building, one or two already out and making a run for it. There were still at least half of them left on Cass' side though and she knew time was running out.

"I'm going to have to go down there and stall him," she sighed, "Last person to go, stomp your foot twice to let me know. Zoey...if I'm not back within five minutes of that then leave without me."

"I'm not leaving you there," Zoey replied determinedly, "I'll come back and get you." Cass shook her head.

"You'd just be walking into trouble," she sighed, "Get out of the area but don't go too far and if I can get out of it somehow I will come and find you, if I don't within a day then assume I'm dead or infected." Before Zoey could argue back, Cass left the room and headed downstairs.

"'Bout time," the officer rudely greeted her, "What the hell were you doing up there?"

"Calming everyone down sir," she replied, "Some of them needed reassurance that everything was going to be all right."

"Ungrateful sons o' bitches," he spat, "I'm down here ensuring their continued existence and they don't even have the decency to realise their perfectly safe."

"With all due respect sir you do keep threatening to shoot people," Cass pointed out, not a shred of respect in her voice, "Some people don't find that very safe."

"You listen here you little bitch," he raged at her, "It's people like you that make me have to do things like that. I can't guarantee everyone's safety whilst there are some who don't recognise me as the highest level of authority. Now block up those back windows with something whilst I sort out moving some of the mattresses to barricade the door with." Cass nodded and did what she was told, she didn't like him bossing her around like that but she knew that this would delay the infected getting inside which meant it bought those escaping upstairs more time. Unfortunately there wasn't a great deal lying around that was useful for blocking up windows but she made do with what she had, it would at least buy them a few extra minutes with luck. She then moved to the windows at the front and quickly tried to patch up the holes that were beginning to be made in these pre-boarded up ones. Meanwhile at the back of the room, the officer was struggling to keep the infected out, they had broken down a large chunk of the door and were trying to claw their way inside. STOMP STOMP. Cass looked up, that was the signal, she had five minutes to get out of here before Zoey left.

"Arghhhh!" came a scream from the back then a clatter of something hitting and skidding along the floor. Cass spun round to find the officer on his back, mattress on top of him and an infected on top of the mattress, biting into his arm. His gun lay a few feet out of his reach. In an instant, Cass rushed over to it and picked it up. Not wanting to waste ammunition, she then moved over and smashed the infected in the head with it until it stopped moving. The officer was then able to push the mattress and infected off of him but continued to lay there in pain.

"Help me up girl," he snapped at her, "And gimme back that gun, you clearly don't know how to use it."

"Oh I know how to use it," she smirked, aiming it at his head, "I just don't really want to waste precious ammo, who knows when I'll next come across some."

"What you think you'll be able to get outta here now?" he scoffed, already starting to sound sick, "When even I couldn't keep you all safe."

"No, I know I can," Cass replied, "Everyone else has escaped already, just you and me left here and pretty soon I'll be going too."

"You're going to just leave me here to die?" he asked with horror.

"No," she sighed, "As much as I hate you, I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I'd left you to die...but you're not going to die now. It's already too late, you're infected."

"And how the hell would you know that?" he coughed.

"Just a few minutes ago you were healthy," Cass shrugged, "Then you got bit and now you're gradually getting more and more ill. For all I know you'll completely turn in a minute and attack me."

"There's no way to stop it?" he was worried now.

"I have no idea," Cass admitted, "I don't really know anything about this thing. All I know is what Zoey's told me from her own experiences with the infected and even then I don't like to ask too much since I'd rather not constantly have her relive the moments she lost her parents." He didn't reply this time, his eyes fixed on the ceiling but not really seeming to notice it. Cass backed away but her movements caught his attention and he sprang to life. He'd turned whilst she'd been talking.

"Holy shit that's fast," she muttered, backing off faster as he charged at her, "I didn't even notice...crap!" He lunged at her. BANG.

Zoey jumped as the gunshot sounded and then the panicked worry began to set in. Only a single shot, that meant it probably wasn't that the infected had broken in and that meant...

"Cass!" she gasped, "Oh god please no, please don't let it have been her." She tried to keep the thoughts at bay by telling herself it had been the infected and that there had only been one shot left but as the silence continued and the minutes dragged past she began to disbelieve these thoughts. It had been over five minutes since the last person had crossed now but Zoey couldn't bring herself to leave. She sank to her knees.

"Cass please, please be okay" she pleaded, beginning to get emotional "Please...oh god...I never even got to tell her."

"Tell me what?" came a familiar voice from the window. Zoey looked up and was filled with relief as her eyes rested on Cass. She jumped to her feet and ran to embrace her friend.

"Oh thank god," she exclaimed, "I thought you'd been shot."

"I'm probably lucky I wasn't," Cass shrugged, "I think I really pissed him off when I went down there. We won't be seeing him again though...they got him."

"So the gunshot?" Zoey asked.

"Was me," Cass sighed, "I stayed too long, tried to help him when I knew it was pointless. Ended up having to kill him when he attacked me." Zoey embraced her tighter.

"I'm just glad you're okay,"she sighed, still getting over it all.

"I'm just glad you didn't come back," Cass replied, "I told you to leave if five minutes went past...and you still haven't told me what you never got to tell me."

"That's not important right now," Zoey muttered shyly, "And I know I was supposed to leave but after hearing the shot...I just couldn't, I had to know, I'm sorry." She let of go of Cass.

"It's fine," Cass smiled, "I'd have done the same...come on, let's get out of here." Zoey nodded and together they made their way out of the building.


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry this took so long guys, had a bad case of writer's block there. Knew what I wanted to happen but didn't really know how to write it. Hoping its not too bad. Will try to get the next chapter up sooner if I can pull myself away from Oblivion long enough too X3 Also I should probably say that this fic will be going on hiatus at some point in the future as we're getting near to the end of the contract with the internet provider and we might not be going with them again so I've no idea how long it will take us to decide and get it all organised. That shouldn't be for a month or two though.

Anyway, hope you enjoy this one guys and I also hope they seem more like the infected this time rather than just zombies.

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

Fairfield, Connecticut, USA

One week after first infection

2:30pm

Cass sighed as she paced the room they had barricaded themselves into. They'd been in here for a few hours now but there were still too many infected wandering around outside for it to be a good idea to risk going out there. Zoey sat on the floor by the window and watched Cass pace.

"Pacing won't get us out of here any quicker," she pointed out, "We just have to wait until they leave the area."

"And if they don't leave?" Cass worried, "They could simply keep increasing in number, we've gotta have a backup plan ready and I ain't resting till I've thought of it."

"There isn't much we could do from here except try to get onto the roof," Zoey sighed, "And who knows if we could even get anywhere once we made it up there."

"We have to survive," Cass said, "There's just no damn way in hell I'm gonna let there even be a chance of this being our last day on earth. Those zombies ain't gonna take us down...no power in the 'verse can stop us." Cass' Firefly reference made Zoey smile.

"You're right," she nodded, "No matter what the odds we will survive. We'll get through this together somehow and before you know it life will be back to normal."

"If it can go back to normal," Cass muttered.

"What do you mean?" Zoey asked, confused. Cass simply shook her head and continued her pacing. Zoey continued to watch her with a puzzled expression. She couldn't help but wonder exactly what had happened during the time Cass had been forced to go back yesterday, whatever it was it seemed to have had quite the effect on her. She was a lot more paranoid about things today and could not rest easily unless they had some form of escape plan. She did finally sit down, however, and rested her back against the wall, hugging her knees close to her.

"You ok?" Zoey asked her, "I mean, you've barely had any rest."

"I'm fine," Cass grumbled in reply, "I just wish we could find out what's going on out there. I mean it's been nearly a week since things started getting bad, someone has to be doing something by now surely...other than standing outside the city."

"I'm sure they're doing all they can," Zoey assured her, "It must just be a delicate situation that they have to approach carefully. I mean they can't really rush into things, they'd end up getting more people infected."

"I know, I know," Cass replied, "For once in my life I'm just wishing there was some news..." At that moment the chorus of Save Me Some Sugar by the Midnight Riders blared out from Cass' pocket. It was the ringtone for her mobile meaning she finally had some signal. She hurriedly jumped to her feet so that she could pull the phone out of her pocket and check the caller id. It was Ryan! Not noticing the infected outside starting to run for the building, she answered the phone.

"Ryan?...It's ok, I'm fine and so is Zoey, she's with me, we're currently holed up in an apartment block...The city is swarmed with infected individuals...yeah it's like their zombies or something...no, I haven't been bit...no I'm not just saying that to stop you from worrying, where are you anyway?...uh-huh. At least you're safe then and I guess it explains why nobody seems to have done anything here...really? We'll keep an eye out for them then."

As Cass continued to chat with her brother, Zoey stood up and moved to the door, a worried expression on her face. She was sure she could hear hurried footsteps from inside the building.

"Please say they haven't," Zoey worried to herself as she slowly and quietly began to open the door. The door was halfway opened when her suspicions were confirmed and a small horde of infected began to shove their way through the doorway. Whilst a few of them jumped at Zoey, a few of them ran towards Cass, who had dropped the phone in fright.

"Cass? Cass! What's going on? Are you there? CASS!" CRUNCH! Ryan's panicked yells were cut off as Cass stepped backwards onto the phone as she attempted to dodge a swipe from the nearest infected.

"Fuck!" Cass swore as she pulled out the pistol she had taken the day before, "You bastards can't allow us just a little bit of happiness, can you?" She fired, hitting the infected that had swung at her in the chest. Zoey on the other hand was trying to fight them off with a knife which, whilst not as effective as a firearm, was still helping her at lot more than bare fists which seemed to be the infected's weapon of choice today.

BANG! BANG! The source of the gunshots was drawing closer, hopefully they'd still be alive when they got there.

"Move your ass Francis or I'm leaving you behind!" snapped the older of the two men. He was dressed in a military uniform, complete with the green beret that sat atop his grey hair. A lit cigarette rested between the lips of his bearded face, positioned in such a way that it did not fall out even when he opened his mouth to speak. This was useful considering his M16 required him to use both hands. The younger male, Francis, seemed like a typical biker gang member of some sort, possibly Hell's Legion if his tattoos were anything to go by. He held a shotgun in his hands and wore a grumpy look upon his face.

"Shut up Bill," he retorted, "Why the hell are we even going towards the gunshots? Surely we should be heading away from them?"

"Gunshots mean there's people still alive out here and by God I'm going to help them," Bill replied, "Save as many as we can and who knows Francis, you could find someone you actually get along with."

"...I hate it when you're right," he grumbled, picking up the pace, "I'm telling you now though, we better find some chicks soon to make this be worth my while."

"We have to get out of this room!" Zoey called over to Cass, "It's too cramped in here to defend ourselves properly."

"Look for a gap between them and go!" Cass ordered, "I'll follow when I can."

"I am not leaving you alone in here with them," Zoey replied determinedly, "I'm not going through the risk of losing you again."

"You won't lose me," Cass promised, "No power in the 'verse can stop us remember? Now either head to the roof or try to get out into the street and I swear I will meet up with you when I can and if I'm lying may God strike me down where I stand." Zoey hesitated for a moment, killing another infected as she did so. She could practically feel Cass' eyes burning into her, begging her to leave.

She sighed. "If you die, I'll kill you. Good luck."

"Stay safe," came the reply as she fought her way out of the room. It was a lot less crowded out here with the majority of the horde being in the room she had just left, it looked like it wouldn't be too much of a problem making her way to the street where she would at least have somewhere to run if things got too bad.

Cass backed closer to the window and pulled the trigger again. Click. Click. She was out of ammunition.

"Oh crap," she whimpered, lashing out with it instead. She couldn't really do much more than that, she was becoming cornered and was separated from any other weapons they had brought with them.

~Can't give up now~ she thought to herself ~I promised Zoey I'd see her again, and I am not about to break that promise. Not to her, not to the one I love~

Zoey ran around the corner of the hallway that lead to the stairs, only just managing to stop before she collided with an elderly looking gentleman.

"Whoa there young 'un," he said, "Nearly knocked me off my feet there."

"You've got to help us," Zoey begged him, "My best friend Cass is stuck in the front room two floors up, there's a lot of them in this place."

"Not just one chick but two?" the younger male chuckled, "Sounds like this is my lucky day. I'll head on up there while you check she's not hurt." Zoey glared at him as he walked past her. How could anyone be thinking like that in this kind of situation? Cass' life was in danger!

"Here," the older one said, handing her a pistol, "It's a hell of a lot better than using a knife, just try not to waste the shots."

"Thank you..." Zoey started, not knowing who it was exactly that she was thanking.

"William Overbeck," he replied, "Though most just call me Bill and that was Francis."

"Thank you Bill," Zoey managed to smile, "I'm Zoey." Bill nodded in acknowledgement.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, "Or are you ok to lead the way to your friend?"

"I'm fine," Zoey replied, turning back to lead the way upstairs, "It's just a few scratches." Bill nodded and followed her silently. The apartment block was a lot noisier now with shotgun blasts added to the screams of the horde and very occasionally the sound of either pistol shots or M16 gunfire as Zoey and Bill picked off the ones Francis had missed. It didn't take long for them to catch up to him. He was trying to blast his way into a room full of infected. Zoey could hear cries of pain from Cass coming from within. Was she being bitten? She pushed her way forward, shoving Francis out of the way as she did so, weaving through the crowd of infected, receiving a few punches and scratches for her trouble. She soon found Cass who had been knocked to the ground and was now trying to defend herself as the infected kicked her and stomped on her. Blood trickled down from her nose where she'd been kicked at least once.

"Cass!" Zoey called out, aiming and firing at the infected closest to Cass.

"What are you doing kid?" Bill's voice came from the doorway, "You're going to get yourself hurt if not killed!"

"Zoey?" Cass replied, "I told you to get out of here, who are those..." Her question was cut short as she failed to guard herself from a particularly powerful kick to the head which rendered her unconscious.


	5. Chapter 5

Again with the delays, I think at this point it may just be safe to assume there will be delays between each chapter. i've had a lot of bad luck in my personal life recently which has been distracting and also i was introduced to Hellgate London (awesome game). On top of all this I've actually found this chapter quite difficult to write since not much is actually happening, I'm guessing it'll probably show.

Anyway, thank you to those who left reviews, especially you Virulentous, your review brightened my day and just to address the point you made about the setting and timesets at the beginning, I will probably be cutting them out once i reach the point the game starts at.

I'll try and get the next chapter up as soon as I can, until then I hope you all enjoy this chapter.

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><p>Fairfield, Connecticut, USA<p>

8 days after first infection

7am

"You really should get some rest kid."

"No, I need to be sure she's going to be alright first."

"You're not doing yourself any favours, when was the last time you slept?" The voices sounded distant and it took Cass a few moments to focus on them to identify them. One of them was most definitely Zoey and the other, she was unfamiliar with so she guessed that it must belong to one of the strangers that Zoey had brought back with her.

"Give me five minutes alone with her and I'm sure I could wake her up," another unfamiliar voice snickered. This must have been the other stranger.

"You can stay away from her," Zoey's snappy reply came.

"Just ignore him," the first stranger sighed, "Francis can be an ass at times." Cass tried to move, to sit up and open her eyes, but her entire body felt like stone.

~Am I dead but still trapped in my body or something?~ she wondered to herself. This could not be the case unless the dead could still feel pain. The more her mind seemed to become focused, the more she realised that she was in pain, her head mostly but some muscles also ached. Finally she managed to stir, groaning from the pain it resulted in. The conversation she had been listening to abruptly stopped and approaching footsteps replaced it.

"Cass?" It was Zoey.

"Zoey?" Cass replied, managing to slowly open her eyes, the world around her nothing more than a blur at first. She blinked a few times to clear her vision and eventually, Zoey's worried and tired face swam into view.

"How are you feeling?" Zoey asked her.

"Sore," Cass answered, "What happened?"

"The infected managed to knock you down to the ground so you couldn't defend yourself," Zoey explained, "Don't worry though, you don't seem to have been bitten, they were more throwing punches and kicks."

"So I'm not infected?" Cass questioned cautiously, fearing the answer that may possibly come.

"Not that we're aware of," Zoey smiled, "We were more worried about the possibility that you wouldn't wake up."

"How long have I been out exactly?" Cass blinked in slightly confused curiosity.

"At least sixteen hours," Zoey replied, "I'm just relieved you're alright."

"I told you exhaustion was likely to be keeping her out," the elder of the strangers nodded, "She just needed a good rest so her body could focus on recovery." Cass looked over at him.

"Oh of course, I completely forgot," Zoey exclaimed sheepishly, "This is Bill and that guy over there is Francis, they helped me rescue you."

"Much appreciated," Cass nodded, slowly sitting up as she was still in a great deal of pain, "I take it we're going to have to go out there again soon?"

"Soon as Zoey gets some rest," Bill nodded, "She's been refusing to sleep out of worry for you." Cass looked at Zoey, who turned away, possibly to hide her face.

"We've known each other since we were kids," she quickly responded, "So of course I was going to be worried about her. Now you mention it though, I am beginning to realise how exhausted I am so I will get some rest." Without hesitation, she stood up, grabbed some blankets and headed to the far corner of the room where she promptly got comfortable and hid herself under the blanket. Cass watched her with a faint smile on her face, she thought it was adorable when Zoey did things like this.

"See this is why I can never understand chicks," Francis grumbled, "One minute they're grumpy and the next they're all nice and shy like that."

"She's not usually grumpy," Cass pointed out, "You must have just said something to annoy her...also referring to us as chicks probably doesn't help."

"Well what else do I refer to you as?" he queried.

"Well either by our names or if you mean females as a whole then girls or women," Cass replied, rolling her eyes before a thought occurred to her, "Oh, has anyone heard of any plans for evacuation? I heard from my brother that the military was sorting something like that out."

"You can't rely on the army to do anything," Francis scoffed, "They're as useless as the cops...I hate cops."

"Not all cops are useless," Cass growled, "And I'd watch what you say about cops around Zoey, her dad was one."

"Just great," he grumbled.

"We'd heard about some sort of safe havens being set up," Bill cut in, getting back to Cass' question, "Safe houses or something they were called, sounds like the type of thing that would become evacuation centres, especially with how many are spread over the city."

"Yeah, we were at one of those before," Cass sighed, "But it fell to the infected, luckily most of us managed to make it out unharmed."

"Underestimating the enemy," Bill muttered bitterly, "It's a bad mistake to make in any war and this ain't like other wars."

"Because they act more like mindless zombies than thinking humans?" Cass questioned with interest.

"I guess," Bill mused, "I was meaning more because the bastards just don't stop coming, doesn't matter how much you injure them or how many of their ranks you kill, if they're physically able to keep coming at you they will do." The room fell silent for a few moments.

"I hate vampires," Francis stated, breaking the silence.

"They're more zombies than vampires," Cass chuckled.

"Whatever," he retorted. Bill shook his head.

"Well if we're to be moving out once Zoey's rested then I suggest we all get some rest too, make sure we're as alert as possible," he said, "It's no good having people who are half asleep."

"Yeah, maybe I'll be in less pain after another rest too," Cass yawned, slowly lying back again.

"I hate being tired," Francis mumbled, settling down in another corner of the room.

"Does he hate everything?" Cass asked.

"It would seem so," Bill sighed, "You get used to it though, rest well kid."

"You too," Cass replied, closing her eyes, "And thanks again for your help."


End file.
